Suprise! A new Call of Duty game is coming this year along with two other Activision legacy titles

Guys, I need you to sit down, hold onto your butts and brace yourselves for the shock of a lifetime: There will be a new Call of Duty this year. REMAIN CALM! Initiate relaxation procedures akin to a portly Kentucky gentleman in a white suit, fanning himself to help settle his pulse and return the beat of his heart to a level that doesn’t beat like a death metal drum solo.

Modern Warfare and its absolutely ridiculous patch sizes may not even be half a year old yet, but Activision as usual has a new Call of Duty in the pipeline. Confirmed through Activision’s latest earnings call (via Gematsu), the company detailed “the next premium release for Call of Duty”, with current rumours pointing to the return of Black Ops albeit in fresh reboot form. If you need a quick reminder of those rumours with salt in your pinched fingers this early in the morning, here ya go!

• Call of Duty this year will head back to the world of Black Ops, will probably be titled Black Operations
• Sergeant Frank Wood and Alex Mason will return with new actors handling their roles
• Call of Duty 2020 will be built on the same engine as Modern Warfare’s amazing tech that was put together by Infinity Ward Poland
• The single-player campaign will once again focus on real-life events from a period of time that covers four decades
• The campaign will visit the Cold War and Vietnam War eras
• Apparently even grittier and more gruesome than Modern Warfare
• Health regeneration in multiplayer isn’t automatic, although this may change
• Operators will return in multiplayer
• Map design will mostly focus on three-lane setups
• Killstreaks are back
• Multiplayer DLC will be free

Aside from that, Activision also mentioned the release of “”two titles based on library IP from Activision” this year. You can only guesstimate at this point, but I’d wager that something from the family friendlier side of the Activision books will make an appearance, such as a new game featuring Spyro the Dragon or Crash Bandicoot. After the recent remasters lovingly recreated the two icons and some of their best games in upscaled modern visual glory, there’s a bunch of assets just waiting to be utilised for new adventures and I don’t anyone would complain if they were handed more retro fun.

Activision Blizzard:

Executives shared a bit more details in the way of its pipeline. This includes a curious line:

Two titles based on "library IP from Activision"

You have to expect one of them to be Crash. What about the other? Spyro?

I know fans are hoping these are true. pic.twitter.com/dchjsgM1L8

— Dom (@DomsPlaying) May 5, 2020

The second game though? I think we’re going to see a new Tony Hawk game hit the half-pipe. With games such as Skater XL and Session carving out a path on the realistic side of skateboarding, there’s still a gap for the deck shredding action of the Tony Hawk brand, what with its propensity for slapping the laws of gravity in the face and being a generally silly game focused on chaining ludicrous combos together as opposed to Skater XL’s more meditative state of flips and kicks.

Professional skateboarder Jason Dill pretty much confirmed the existence of the game this week, while an earlier leak from punk band The Death Set made the claim that five of their songs would be featured in the game. Activision’s had a much leaner (but no less profitable!) couple of years recently, releasing only a tiny number of games every year. They’ve still got a knack for publishing the right game whenever they’re given a chance to do so, such as the superb Sekiro.

If this year sees them rely on legacy titles while they prep for a new Call of Duty, I’m not going to complain.

Last Updated: May 6, 2020